Sleepless Nights
by Tigereyes45
Summary: Draal is still the guard of Jim Lake Jr even as he is in the Darklands. As such he checks on and sets up protection and traps around each of the houses of Jim's friends. Before he goes out and whenever he gets back he can hear The Barbara weep, asking for answers from ghosts.


**_For Day 2 of Rarepair trollhunters week. Should I smile because you're my friend, or cry because that's all we'll ever be?_**

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Their first meeting had not gone well. With the Barbara having maced him Draal had been out cold in the midst of Angor Rot's invasion of the trollhunter's home. He wished he had reacted better to Barbara's attack. Then he could have stayed awake and protect the Lakes better. Instead of leaving their safety to the clearly incapable hands of the impure. As a result, the Barbara was harmed. After learning of her son's heroic deeds she had to forget them to keep her alive. Draal wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, it met she would no longer fear for her son's safety against the evilest of their kind. On the other, he had to return to the shadows of the house, and his temporary home in their basement to watch over her.

He told Jim he would watch over them. That meant Draal spent the time The Barbara was not at home setting up protective efforts throughout it. The places she spent the least of her time using. The kitchen and the windows in Jim's bedroom were the first he reinforced. Draal would also have nightly conversations with Toby. Sometimes the human boy would come over before morning just to make sure that if The Barbara were to check on her son when she came home then he would be there.

When Draal felt the Lakes' home was safe enough he moved his attention towards Claire's and Toby's. He would leave in the middle of the night before Barbara would be home, wait for their own guardians to sleep before going about his business. Vendel had given him a few spells and protection stones to place in the humans' homes. As a way of ensuring the remaining two humans and their families were safe.

One night he arrived back at the trollhunter's home to hear a startling sound. He could only connect to the that of a squealing pig when he first hears it. No such animals were known for being anywhere near Jim's house. Draal slams his fist down in the backyard before charging at the house. The Barbara would be far from here at her hospital right now. This was his one chance to face the sneak on his own without raising Barbara's suspicions. Draal reaches the door but stops himself from knocking the door in. He could hear the sound better now. He had heard something very similar when Aaarrrgghh! had passed in the battle below. They were human.

Peeking in through the kitchen's window, Draal could see The Barbara sitting alone at the kitchen table. Her back was to him but he could see she was holding a piece of paper down on the table with one hand. Her head was resting in her other. Draal watches her for a while as her tears grew louder and louder. Changing from cries to a wailing much akin to that of a banshee. Occasionally her tears were broken by words. Mostly questions of 'why' and 'what happened'. It did not take a genius to know what she was crying over.

Draal's theory was only confirmed as The Barbara stood up and slowly climbed the stairs up to her own bedroom. Draal carefully opens the door. He steps as quietly as he can to the dining table just outside the kitchen's way. The paper lying there was indeed a photo of The Barbara with Jim. Draal looks up to the stairs to make sure she was not coming back down.

With no signs of her leaving her room, he sits next to the table. Carefully he picks the photo up and examines it. The Jim in the photo was very small. He could fit in The Barbara's two arms alone. Draal had forgotten how small the young of humans were when first born. Yet the Jim in this photo was raising his arms above his head and could kick his growing legs freely. This was not a photo of a newly hatched Jim. He must be at least older than Claire's little brother is now in this picture. Draal looks away his gaze falling on what little he could see of Toby's house from out the window.

Toby had the mask. Draal looks back at the photo. He knew what to do to make The Barbara not cry anymore. He tells Toby his plan later that night.

"You want to do what?"

"Give me the mask so The Barbara thinks Jim is home, and they can talk." Draal repeats himself unsure of why Toby sounded so confused. Weren't these fleshbags suppose to understand their own human customs.

"Why?"

Draal pauses wondering how to answer. "You humans hug when you cry." Draal points out, moving his arms in a way to show. "I need it to hug The Barbara." He shakes his head. Looking down at Toby's confused face Draal was worried he had not explained it right.

"Doctor Lake has been crying? But why, she doesn't know Jim is in the Darklands."

"I don't think that is the problem." Draal knew the problem was with Jim. He just wasn't sure why it was with Jim. He had heard the two argue only a few times before Jim left. Still, Draal new things were not all well from those few arguments.

"Then what is it?" Toby asks sounding sad and tired. "Is it because I can't cook?"

Draal shakes his head and looks back at the house across the street. The Barbara would be returning home soon. She didn't work so late of Thursdays. "Please Toby, the mask." Draal didn't know what he was going to do, but he would figure it out as they went along. Perhaps then The Barbara wouldn't cry again.

Draal looks back down to Toby who had fetched the mask from his backpack. At least now the little fleshbags would listen to Draal. Vendel made a comment about it after the fight, how much closer they had grown to many of the trolls, but listened to few. A rationality many humans took even with each other. So when Toby told Draal no he felt confusion but also disappointment.

"Why? The Barbara will be home any minute." Draal explains throwing his metal arm in the general direction of the Lake's house. "I can not continue to hear her cry. It is," Draal hesitates. Why did her tears bother him so much? He shouldn't care or at least he hadn't before. So why now?

"Listen Draal I know it's difficult but you aren't human. You wouldn't even know how to be Jim! He isn't just a trollhunter he is, he's my best friend." Toby states wiping away at his eyes.

"He is my friend too." Draal mentions as he watches Toby quietly calm himself. "If you will not give me the mask then come with me. Tell The Barbara to calm down, hug her as you humans do. Perhaps then she will sleep."

"She hasn't been sleeping?" Why did everything surprise Toby so much?

"She goes to her room and paces. Like Blinky." Draal explains. He normally would not hear such things in the basement but he has been spending more time upstairs then before. Waiting for trouble. Listening for any signs of goblins or changlings planning their attacks. He doesn't mention how the only sound he hears anytime he is up there is just The Barbara asking questions. Talking to people who aren't up there with her. Draal once thought them ghosts, but if they are, they only leave silent responses Draal cannot hear.

The older human from downstairs calls for Toby. Announcing it was time for dinner and pulling Draal from thoughts of The Barbara's nights.

Toby sighs as he stares down at the mask. "Fine, here." He hands over the mask slowly. Carefully resting it in Draal's hand. "Don't break it," he orders before giving a smaller lecture then Blinky had given him and Claire before giving it to them. Draal didn't mind, even if he had heard it before.

"Thank you, Toby." Draal tries to smile, but from Toby's reaction it wasn't as kind as he felt he had made it. The human laughs before leading Draal out of his room.

"You smile like that with Jim's face and Doctor Lake will think he's sick."

Draal takes his words to heart before slipping on the mask. Suddenly he could feel his body shrink and the facade took place. Draal strolls past Toby's grandmother with ease. She was busy calling for her cats to feed them. Draal knew that not all of them would be coming in for dinner tonight, as Toby complained about many of her cats having gone missing as of late. Looking to the trollhunter's house, The Barbara was still not home. Perhaps luck was on his side this night.

Draal crosses the street careful to watch for any signs of cars. He had seen the aftermath of Trollmarket after Blinky drove one down, and while most of that damage was done by Angor Rot the car was a weapon used against everyone. Draal was surprised more humans were not killed by the machines.

Once he makes it across safely Draal enters the house through the back door. He stands at the counter. Staring at his disguise. His metal arm still felt cold even though it looked like human flesh. He could see his face reflected in the metal appliances of the kitchen and only saw a distorted shape of Jim's face looking back at him. He did not feel shorter but he saw everything from a lower viewpoint. As if he was seeing not only from his eyes but also those of Jim's. He decides to practice smiling until The Barbara comes home.

It is after he has filled the sink with water to get a better look at his face that the door from the garage opens. Quickly throwing the bottle of soup into the water, Draal then grabs a plate and drops it in as well. As he turns around to find another dish to place into the water he sees The Barbara there, staring at him.

"Um, uh, oh," Draal smiles at her remembering he is Jim right now. "Welcome home!"

The Barbara laughs and Draal wonders what for. She approaches him with her cheek bitten in. She rests her soft hands on his shoulders to peer over him towards the sink. It was odd, seeing The Barbara from this angle, and having her so close was the strangest feeling of all. "What are you doing down here? Typically you are over at Toby's right now or upstairs doing your homework." Draal looks back at the sink and shrugs at it. "I see, Jim have you gotten all your homework done?" Draal nods his head yes, unsure if he should say anything.

"Any Spanish homework tonight?" She asks looking back down at him.

"Yes," Draal says not sure if that was what she wanted to hear or if he even sounded sure enough for her to believe him. Did he sound like Jim with this mask on? Suddenly Draal worries the mask might even fall off and reveal everything. In Deya's name, he should have just let Toby keep it.

"Well it must have been another essay for the class." The Barbara mutters to herself. "How about I handle the dishes tonight?" Draal feels a surge of relief run through him. Until he saw purple bags under her eyes. She was tired, and humans needed rest.

"H-how about we leave them alone tonight? I mean they'll still be there in the morning, and you look tired," Draal prays to his father that it sounded like the trollhunter.

The Barbara runs her hand through Jim's hair, along Draal's scalp. She must have felt what she was expecting because she runs the locks in between her fingers. Never aware that it wasn't her son's hair she was playing with. Draal could feel it only when her finger touched his scalp. The soft tips of her fingers pressing carefully against. Now was his chance. Perhaps she would be able to sleep tonight. Closing his eyes Draal presses himself against her. His head lies against her chest, and his arms wrapped around her back interconnecting his fingers behind her. Humans arms are so small, and all Draal could think was how if the mask was not on he would tower her. Her head would rest against his chest and her hands would not even be able to meet each other around his back. Draal hopes that she wouldn't be able to tell this wasn't her son. That she may actually get some sleep tonight.

"This is a surprise. I was starting to wonder if you were too big to hug your mother anymore." She says as she hugs him back.

Draal let's the first word that came to his mind slip out. "Never," He whispers beginning to worry that his true voice might creep through.

"Good. That's good." The Barbara's voice was growing softer as she spoke, and Draal looks up to see her eyes were slowly closing.

"Time for bed," Draal announces pulling away from Barbara.

"Go ahead and drain the water," She instructs before making her way to the stairs. Her arms reach out to an empty space behind her head. Draal nods in response while watching her leave.

 **He waits until he could hear her door shut before draining the water. He takes the mask off and sticks his head into the sink. With one great breath he manages to duck up almost all of the water. Then Draal places the plate and bottle behind the sink head. He sets the mask on the table in the living room before taking his place on the floor by the stairs. He sighs in relief as he hears no arguments with ghosts tonight. No questions, or cries escaping The Barbara's room. Only soft snores that grew louder the longer she was in bed. He had been right to think Jim could help her sleep better. Nothing short of pride fills his chest as he begins his watch for the night even as water drips from the edges of his face. Even that could not cause him discomfort.**


End file.
